Raggedy Ends

[krikit96]

This will be my first post tonight, cuz I have LOTS of pics to show...

Anywho, a few weeks ago I posted about Hardly No New Growth, WTF???
Some may remember, I was supposed to post how my hair turned out after I did a t/u. I was too embarrassed but decided to go ahead and post. I am so ashamed!

My ends are RAGGEDY!!! I have length to about 7.5 inches in some spots and up to 4 on others. I do NOT want to chop my hair, but I know it looks ragged...so I usually wear it in ways that you can't tell... but here it is in all it's shame! Do I REALLY HAVE to chop???

THEEEEnnnnn... about a month later I took some pics without the measuring shirt (my pink bra) and it does still look crazy at the ends but not as bad... maybe because it was wet???

Anyways, I really am working hard to get to my goal of BSL and I REALLY don't want to cut it... is there ANY alternative???? I think I'm in denial...

 

[Odd One]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

What's a t/u?

Do you have any health problems with ur ends? Or do they just look uneven?

If you don't have any other problems with them maybe you can just keep hiding it, wait until the shortest strands reach a comfortable length to you, then trim.

I will now let the experts come in lol

 

[locabouthair]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

JMO but I dont think thin ends can catch up. Since you dont want to cut it off, which I understand, I would cut gradually. Like maybe an inch every touch up.

But if you chopped them at once, your hair wouldnt be very short.

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

Well your ends don't look bad to me. It does look like the last couple of inches are thinner than the rest of your hair, which could be from over processing or it just could be that your short hair needs time to catch up with the longer parts. I think it's the latter.

Anyway, I don't see any obvious reason why you would need to cut. Why don't you just keep going with your regimen until you reach your goal and then trim once you get there. Your hair really looks fine to me.

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

This post on mane and chic may help you decide if your thin ends are from growing or breaking. It's written by Chicoro, who is an LHCF member and also wrote the book Grow It! She also has some super beautiful hair and a great fotki.

http://maneandchic.blogspot.com/2008/02/thin-ends-growing-or-breaking-chicoro.html

 

[RadiantBeauty]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I think you should trim an inch or two off to even things out, and of course moisturize and baby those ends. Please implement protective styling!

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I think you should trim an inch or two off to even things out, and of course moisturize and baby those ends. Please implement protective styling!

I have a question. Why should she trim for eveness if she's trying to get to a goal? I mean, her ends don't look bad to me (aesthetically, I don't know about healthwise because a picture can't tell you that) and they actually don't look too uneven.

I understand that "thin" ends may not be the ideal but if you're trying to get to a goal, then why not just get there and trim after? I mean, if getting to the goal is that important to you. The trimming just seems unnecessary to me if her ends are breaking off or causing lots of tangles or anything like that. And, I'm sure it wouldn't even look bad now if she straightened it.

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

A t/u meaning a touch up...

I don't know if I overprocessed my hair or what... it used to be all nice and even like in the pic I'm about to post. I mean, some of it was not the same, but it didn't look like THIS...

My hair is not like it used to be... it used to be MBL when I was a kid and I didn't even take care of it then. I REALLY wanna grow it out, so cutting it would kinda defeat the purpose... however keeping it and looking ragged is not good either.

Does anyone know if you can really grow your thin ends to match the rest of the hair???

 

[RadiantBeauty]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I have a question. Why should she trim for eveness if she's trying to get to a goal? I mean, her ends don't look bad to me (aesthetically, I don't know about healthwise because a picture can't tell you that) and they actually don't look too uneven.

I understand that "thin" ends may not be the ideal but if you're trying to get to a goal, then why not just get there and trim after? I mean, if getting to the goal is that important to you. The trimming just seems unnecessary to me if her ends are breaking off or causing lots of tangles or anything like that. And, I'm sure it wouldn't even look bad now if she straightened it.

I thought that thin ends were not healthy, thats why I suggested for her to even them out. I also thought that thin ends were due to breakage, and if the hairs is breaking it would be difficult for her to reach her goal this way.

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

A t/u meaning a touch up...

I don't know if I overprocessed my hair or what... it used to be all nice and even like in the pic I'm about to post. I mean, some of it was not the same, but it didn't look like THIS...

My hair is not like it used to be... it used to be MBL when I was a kid and I didn't even take care of it then. I REALLY wanna grow it out, so cutting it would kinda defeat the purpose... however keeping it and looking ragged is not good either.

Does anyone know if you can really grow your thin ends to match the rest of the hair???

I thought that thin ends were not healthy, thats why I suggested for her to even them out. I also thought that thin ends were due to breakage, and if the hairs is breaking it would be difficult for her to reach her goal this way.

For both of you, thin ends aren't always a sign of breakage or unhealthy hair. You should definitely check out the link I posted.

Think of it this way. Let's say you're trying to grow your hair to APL. Since your nape is closes to APL it's going to get there first and the rest of your hair, growing at the same rate, is going to be shorter. At that point, it will appear that your ends are thin because some is at APL, some is at SL, some is in between, etc. etc.

That doesn't automatically mean your hair is unhealthy or breaking, it's just that hair doesn't grow in evenly and the rest of your hair is going to have to catch up. Trimming the "thin" ends at that point would just set you back. It makes more sense, IMO, to wait until more of your hair is at APL (in this example) and then trim for eveness. It's not that your thin ends need to catch up, it's your shorter hairs that need to catch up.

OP, IMO, if your hair isn't breaking and isn't unhealthy (splitting, brittle, etc) then I say keep the ends and wait until the rest of your hair gets closer to your goal. Then trim to even it out if you want to have a blunt cut.

 

[Odd One]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

A t/u meaning a touch up... oh lol ''duhhh'' silly me

I don't know if I overprocessed my hair or what... it used to be all nice and even like in the pic I'm about to post. I mean, some of it was not the same, but it didn't look like THIS...

My hair is not like it used to be... it used to be MBL when I was a kid and I didn't even take care of it then. maybe that's it! idk about your full regimen but maybe it's about doing less manipulation. Leave it alone for a while, let it do what it do and let your hair surprise you I REALLY wanna grow it out, so cutting it would kinda defeat the purpose... however keeping it and looking ragged is not good either.

Does anyone know if you can really grow your thin ends to match the rest of the hair???

....................................

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I don't really have a regimen... I'm about to start flexrodding and rollersetting... try to cut out on the heat for the summer. See how my hair is doing come August...

Maybe I'll stop washing every 2-3 weeks and do it twice a week. That plus the low heat thing should really do something... Hopefully...

I DID read the chicoro thing and it does make sense. We'll see and I will keep you updated! But, doesn't that pic with the measuring t-shirt look just AWFUL?!?!?

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

OOPS!!! SORRY LADIES!!!!DOUBLE POST

I don't really have a regimen. I don't do anything special to my hair. I guess now that it's summer I will start trying to do a low heat thing... Maybe flexrod and rollerset more often... Instead of washing every 2 or 3 weeks I'll wash twice every week?

Hopefully by August I should see some sort of progress. I did look at that post by Chicoro too, and it does make sense to me. We shall see if it proves to be true in my case as well...

Honestly, doesn't that white measuring t-shirt pic look just AWFUL with those ends though.....?

OOPS!!! SORRY LADIES!!!!DOUBLE POST

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I don't really have a regimen... I'm about to start flexrodding and rollersetting... try to cut out on the heat for the summer. See how my hair is doing come August...

Maybe I'll stop washing every 2-3 weeks and do it twice a week. That plus the low heat thing should really do something... Hopefully...

I DID read the chicoro thing and it does make sense. We'll see and I will keep you updated! But, doesn't that pic with the measuring t-shirt look just AWFUL?!?!?

I really don't think the pic looks awful at all. I don't know when you started your healthy hair journey (that sounds so cheesy lol) but remember your ends are the oldest part of your hair and if you were abusing your hair before, then yes, the ends will probably look bad. Yours don't look that bad though. What I see are different lengths that seem to be on their way to evening out.

Anyway I don't think you should change your regimen too much. If you've been using a lot of heat then low-heat would probably be beneficial. But if you've been washing every 2-3 weeks and it's gotten you this far, don't suddenly change to washing twice a week. It could end up being worse for your hair. Adjust one thing at a time and take it from there.

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

When ends are scraggly they can lead to tangles. Now, maybe it's just uneven growth/layers or of course it could be damage but i think you should trim maybe about 1/2" to an inch to start and then trim every couple of months. This is what i'm doing right now. Length means absolutely nothing without health.

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

Anyway I don't think you should change your regimen too much. If you've been using a lot of heat then low-heat would probably be beneficial. But if you've been washing every 2-3 weeks and it's gotten you this far, don't suddenly change to washing twice a week. It could end up being worse for your hair. Adjust one thing at a time and take it from there.

Hey...that makes sense...

 

[pookaloo83]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I trimmed my ends. They looked horrible. I chose health over length. I went from this

To what's in my siggy. It feels alot better and looks better too!

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I trimmed my ends. They looked horrible. I chose health over length. I went from this

To what's in my siggy. It feels alot better and looks better too!

Your hair does look nice and healthy. BUT I can see a big difference in length and I'm not trying to lose what I have if I don't have to. I understand that you choose health over length, but I want BOTH. Can't I have health AND length with what I've got now?
How long is it gonna take you to get back what you had to cut off? That is even THAT much longer until you reach whatever goal you have...

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I trimmed my ends. They looked horrible. I chose health over length. I went from this...to what's in my siggy. It feels alot better and looks better too!

I have another question.

I completely understand the whole "health before length" thing.

But, you say your ends "looked" horrible. Not being pleasing to the eye is not the same thing as being unhealthy. You also said they felt horrible, which I'm sure could indicate a problem, I just don't know what problem.

I understand the importance of trimming ends that are breaking off or so jacked up that they are causing tangles or if they have splits that are going up the shaft.

I guess what I don't get is people keep saying "health before length" when, IMO, what they really mean is "aesthetically pleasing hemline before length".

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

KriKit96: You know what.........If it's going to make you "feel" better about the way your hair looks, you could always just do a light dusting to your ends.

And if you have a good Regimen, that is working for you, stick with it and then just gradually dust, dust, dust. Little by Little. I agree w/MSA, it really doesn't look too terribly bad.

But if you feel it is causing you problems with styling and general overall appearance, I would just dust the ends and then gradually get it to where you want it to be.

 

[pookaloo83]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

I have another question.

I completely understand the whole "health before length" thing.

But, you say your ends "looked" horrible. Not being pleasing to the eye is not the same thing as being unhealthy. You also said they felt horrible, which I'm sure could indicate a problem, I just don't know what problem.

I understand the importance of trimming ends that are breaking off or so jacked up that they are causing tangles or if they have splits that are going up the shaft.

I guess what I don't get is people keep saying "health before length" when, IMO, what they really mean is "aesthetically pleasing hemline before length".

Well it not only looked horrible it felt horrible and it always tangled up and I was always losing hair when I rollerset. I don't anymore now. Plus my ends had felt like straw.

 

[pookaloo83]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

Your hair does look nice and healthy. BUT I can see a big difference in length and I'm not trying to lose what I have if I don't have to. I understand that you choose health over length, but I want BOTH. Can't I have health AND length with what I've got now?
How long is it gonna take you to get back what you had to cut off? That is even THAT much longer until you reach whatever goal you have...

I don't know how long it's going to take me to get back to my old length, but I'm more on LHCF for the health. Don't get me wrong I want length too, but I like my hair to feel and look healthy.

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

KriKit96: You know what.........If it's going to make you "feel" better about the way your hair looks, you could always just do a light dusting to your ends.

And if you have a good Regimen, that is working for you, stick with it and then just gradually dust, dust, dust. Little by Little. I agree w/MSA, it really doesn't look too terribly bad.

But if you feel it is causing you problems with styling and general overall appearance, I would just dust the ends and then gradually get it to where you want it to be.

You know... I called myself lightly "dusting" last time and that's when my ends started looking crazy. If you look at the one picture where my ends are pretty much the same, that's when I called myself evening up my ends and I put my hair in a ponytail and cut my ends with some hair scissors that I bought from Dollar General. Big mistake. That's when my ends ended up looking crazy. i guess I shouldn't have ever tried to cut the ends. Maybe a ponytail wasn't the best way to go about it...??? I didn't know howelse to do it.

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

You know... I called myself lightly "dusting" last time and that's when my ends started looking crazy. If you look at the one picture where my ends are pretty much the same, that's when I called myself evening up my ends and I put my hair in a ponytail and cut my ends with some hair scissors that I bought from Dollar General. Big mistake. That's when my ends ended up looking crazy. i guess I shouldn't have ever tried to cut the ends. Maybe a ponytail wasn't the best way to go about it...??? I didn't know howelse to do it.

There's your mistake right there. You exacerbated the uneveness by trying to trim while in a ponytail. Bad bad idea.

Next time, dust section by section. And don't take off too much.

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

MSA:

Okay, I figured I did something wrong... I'm new to this whole haircare thing...

I am trying to find a thread on how to trim or dust... Since the ponytail thing didn't work out. I also know my scissors were cheap. I really don't want to pay $39.99 for scissors.

Can you help me out? Know of any good links? I looked at your link on LHCF Newbie links but I didn't see one?

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

MSA:

Okay, I figured I did something wrong... I'm new to this whole haircare thing...

I am trying to find a thread on how to trim or dust... Since the ponytail thing didn't work out. I also know my scissors were cheap. I really don't want to pay $39.99 for scissors.

Can you help me out? Know of any good links? I looked at your link on LHCF Newbie links but I didn't see one?

I don't think there is one in there about trimming/dusting...that would be a good thing to add, thanks for the idea! If I find some links I'll post them. In the meantime, try doing a google search (trim site:longhaircareforum.com) and see what you get...also try searching variations of the same word/words.

I don't think you need 40$ scissors to trim...but they definitely shouldn't be 1$ scissors either. Just make sure they are not dull, that's the most important thing.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

You know... I called myself lightly "dusting" last time and that's when my ends started looking crazy. If you look at the one picture where my ends are pretty much the same, that's when I called myself evening up my ends and I put my hair in a ponytail and cut my ends with some hair scissors that I bought from Dollar General. Big mistake. That's when my ends ended up looking crazy. i guess I shouldn't have ever tried to cut the ends. Maybe a ponytail wasn't the best way to go about it...??? I didn't know howelse to do it.

Just be patient with yourself. We are all here to Learn. And oftentimes it's through Trial & Error.

But hey, such is life. So don't get discouraged. In a couple of months your hair is going to be looking great and you will have mastered what to do with "Ends" and you will be in the position to help someone else that is having the same problem.

You'll get it straightened out soon. Just be patient and don't get frustrated. I've learned on this Hair Thing, It is All A Process.

 

[krikit96]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

Just be patient with yourself. We are all here to Learn. And oftentimes it's through Trial & Error.

But hey, such is life. So don't get discouraged. In a couple of months your hair is going to be looking great and you will have mastered what to do with "Ends" and you will be in the position to help someone else that is having the same problem.

You'll get it straightened out soon. Just be patient and don't get frustrated. I've learned on this Hair Thing, It is All A Process.

Thank you girl! I hope I CAN help somebody out later on down the road! Seems like for now I'm still trying to soak everything in.
But I believe it, that I will be fine in a few months. I think I'm gonna stick to the idea of at least washing once every week and definitely do the low heat thing. One more question... do you know if sitting under a hood dryer is considered heat or low heat/no heat?

 

[msa]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

Thank you girl! I hope I CAN help somebody out later on down the road! Seems like for now I'm still trying to soak everything in.
But I believe it, that I will be fine in a few months. I think I'm gonna stick to the idea of at least washing once every week and definitely do the low heat thing. One more question... do you know if sitting under a hood dryer is considered heat or low heat/no heat?

Hooded dryers are considered indirect heat...so when people say they are doing "no heat" it can include the dryer because it's not direct heat (flat iron, curling iron, etc.).

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Re: Raggedy @$$ ends...

^^^^I think it depends on the setting of your dryer. Personally, I look at the Hooded Dryer as Indirect Heat, because the heat source is not putting 'direct' heat on your hair. And the heat being generated is not directly coming in contact w/your hair.

A Curling Iron, Flat Iron, Blow Dryer on High Setting etc....I would personally consider 'direct' heat. Someone else may have another view.

HTH